Chapter Summaries

Suren discovered that the Cursed Hair of the Weeping Witch could serve as powerful puppet strings, but the only known source lay in deadly ruins that even Tuze’s group would not revisit. After hearing other High-Tier Professionals plan expeditions there, Suren returned to Green Street and found a furtive person waiting outside his basement.

• Suren inspected the Cursed Hair of the Weeping Witch and found that it could shift between solid and elemental forms, extend, and conduct Dark Spiritual Energy, making it ideal for controlling puppets.
• Mr. Black identified the hair as belonging to the Weeping Witch, and Tuze revealed that he had only three strands and offered Suren the location where he had found them.
• Tuze explained that Dawn City’s ruins were filled with dangerous monsters and Cursed Spaces, with expedition groups suffering overwhelming casualties and no one reaching the inner city.
• Despite the danger, several High-Tier Professionals asked Tuze to sell them expedition intelligence or provide guides, while Suren chose not to join them and hoped they would bring back more hair.
• Suren returned from the black market to Green Street and found a furtive-looking person waiting outside his basement.

Danny Banks asked Suren to rescue his captured friends and revealed that he had escaped the Black Tower’s Number Seven Institute after his parents destroyed its X Serum research. Suren agreed to try to find them, and Danny tracked their scent to West City.

• Danny Banks found Suren’s basement by following the distinctive potion scent on him and explained that his Enhanced Olfaction had awakened a second time because of his mutations.
• Danny asked Suren to rescue Beta, Brown, and Nancy, who had been seized by people hunting vagrants and orphans on Green Street.
• Suren pressed Danny for the truth, and Danny revealed that he had worked at Number Seven Institute on the X Serum Project and that his parents destroyed the laboratory after discovering the Black Tower’s lethal human experiments.
• Danny explained that an unfinished Mutation Inhibitor had left him mutated and shortened his lifespan, while Suren recognized the X Serum research from the Living Corpse Research Diary.
• Suren agreed to try to rescue Danny’s friends, and Danny used their lingering scent to determine that their captors had taken them to West City.

Suren tracked the abducted children to the Black Knight club and infiltrated its slave-trading operation, but discovered another intruder confronting the district’s slave-trader chief. The chapter left Suren recognizing the short-purple-haired woman as the mysterious figure on the Black Market’s three-million bounty list.

• Suren followed Danny’s scent to the Black Knight club, where he posed as a buyer and met the broker Barley.
• Barley showed Suren a group of chained children, including Brown, but the other two boys Suren sought were missing.
• After Barley left, Suren traced his route to a nearby building and learned that the children were being held behind a locked basement door.
• Suren broke into the building, killed the guards, and learned that the key was with Damm in room 303.
• Suren climbed to Damm’s room and found the slave-trader tied to a chair while a short-purple-haired woman held a knife to his neck.
• Suren recognized the woman as the mysterious target on the Black Market’s three-million bounty list.

Suren encountered a purple-haired woman killing the slave trader Damm, then used the keys she gave him to free the captives and rescue Nancy, Beta, and Brown. The woman set fire to Black Knight's Club to cover her tracks, while Suren escaped with the children and picked up Danny on the way back to South City District.

• Suren found the purple-haired woman interrogating Damm, and she killed him before giving Suren the keys and five minutes to rescue the captives.
• Suren freed the prisoners and gave Nancy, Beta, and Brown disguises and instructions to escape quietly in Danny's name.
• Suren killed nearby Steam Party guards, returned to the club, and resumed drinking with Moira while wondering why the woman knew the original host.
• The purple-haired woman set Black Knight's Club on fire, and Suren left with Moira during the evacuation.
• Suren spotted Nancy, Beta, and Brown outside, brought them into a steam cab, picked up Danny, and headed to South City District.

Suren sent Nancy and the other two boys away from Green Street for their safety, then sheltered Danny and spent a month studying and improving his creations. Just as Suren’s life settled into a routine, Kai arrived with secret information about a Steam Party shipment.

• Suren warned Nancy and the other two boys not to return to Green Street, gave them money and weapons, and sent them by train to Mars District.
• Suren rented Danny a nearby basement and asked him to make emergency potions while explaining that he might need Danny’s help later.
• Danny told Suren that he had seen the silver-haired wanted woman at a laboratory and that she might have been connected to a secret project involving the Medical Research Division and the Mechanical Division.
• Suren studied Black Tower Academy textbooks for a month, improved his mechanical designs and puppets, and steadily advanced his skills.
• Kai visited Suren and revealed that the Steam Party would soon transport a batch of Special Grade Mechanical Equipment from the Inner City.

Suren and Kai ambushed a Steam Party convoy to steal valuable mechanical equipment, but the unusually reinforced truck hinted that the escort might be more complicated than expected. Their mines and explosives crippled the convoy, leaving the truck disabled as the ambush continued.

• Suren and Kai waited two days for a secret Steam Party shipment, hoping to steal cargo to fund Suren’s research and equipment.
• Suren spotted a convoy of three vehicles and twelve people, and Kai identified its escort captain as Buck Bista.
• Suren and Kai destroyed the lead jeep and a second jeep with mines as the convoy tried to flee.
• Suren discovered the truck had bulletproof glass and warned Kai, who found its underside was also reinforced with an explosion-proof plate.
• Kai attached Suren’s adhesive alchemical bomb to a pipe beneath the truck, disabling it with an explosion.

Suren and Kai defeated the Steam Party escort team and opened the armored truck, only to find a powerful Abomination Warrior guarding its cargo. As the monster overwhelmed Kai and resisted their attacks, Suren prepared to release his Eight-Armed Spider Spear.

• Suren and Kai killed all twelve members of the Steam Party escort team, including the surviving Buck.
• Suren melted the truck’s Cortez Alloy Lock with a Tier 1 Metal Melting Technique instead of wasting an Alchemical Bomb.
• An Abomination Warrior burst from the cargo compartment and attacked Kai, whose blade barely scratched it before its wounds healed.
• Suren and Kai found that the monster’s immense strength, speed, and regeneration made it difficult to harm or escape.
• Suren told Kai to prepare a counterattack, then released his Implant as the Eight-Armed Spider Spear began to emerge.

Suren unleashed his Eight-Armed Spider Spear, Cold Flame, and Abomination Puppets to battle the Abomination Warrior while Kai watched in shock. Suren exploited the monster’s impaired sight to stab it repeatedly, but the fight remained unresolved as the creature slammed into the transport vehicle.

• Suren undid his Alchemical Implant and cast Servantless, coating himself and the Spider Arms in Cold Flame.
• Kai fired at the Abomination Warrior to draw its attention while Suren dodged its charge and attached a Lead Sink Puppet to its leg, bringing it down.
• Suren used the Oil-Swallowing Doll and Phosphor Fire Doll to cover the monster in sticky Phosphorus Fire, which impaired its vision.
• Suren evaded the monster’s next charge and used steel wires and momentum to drive his Spider Arms into its skull, back, waist, and ears.
• Suren repeatedly stabbed the monster and inflicted severe wounds with the Spider Arms’ toxins and Cold Flame.
• The Abomination Warrior slammed into the bulletproof transport vehicle, and Suren pulled himself clear before it could crush him.

Suren defeated the Abomination Warrior by exploiting its limited intelligence and overwhelming its regeneration with repeated attacks. Afterward, he and Kai discovered the truck carried the Inner City's latest Frost Giant Combat Armor, revealing that the shipment was far more valuable than they had been told.

• Suren repeatedly burned and stabbed the Abomination Warrior, weakening it until he pierced its heart and killed it.
• Kai watched Suren's abilities in astonishment and realized Suren had been far more powerful than he had thought.
• Suren reflected that Abomination Puppets could fill the roles of an entire team and help him develop his profession.
• Suren told Kai to stop asking questions and help inspect the cargo before they ran out of time.
• Kai opened a crate and found advanced battle armor, which Suren identified as the City Guard's latest Frost Giant Combat Armor.
• Suren and Kai realized the shipment contained unexpected valuables and that they had gotten into a much bigger situation than expected.

Suren and Kai robbed a shipment of advanced Inner City equipment and discovered that it included five doses of the powerful, mutation-inducing X Serum. Suren connected the serum to his Living Corpse research and left considering how to use the diary’s methods to create a powerful weapon.

• Suren recognized the cargo as valuable Frost Giant Armor and concluded that the Steam Party’s escort had been a decoy protecting a secret shipment.
• Suren and Kai decided to take the goods, then opened the crates and gathered armor, weapons, ammunition, and laboratory equipment.
• Kai tried to place potions in a Storage Ring, but the ring shattered because the contents exceeded its spatial Law level.
• Suren appraised the five X Serum doses and learned they could greatly enhance physical attributes and bloodline potential but caused guaranteed mutation in humans.
• Suren connected X Serum and a Mutation Inhibitor Potion to the Living Corpse Research Diary and decided to revisit its instructions.

Suren and Kai discovered that the stolen shipment contained dangerous X Serum and highly advanced PX-911 Mechanical Limbs, suggesting it came from a secret Inner City laboratory. They escaped with the cargo and decided to hide it rather than risk selling it through the Black Market.

• Suren found X Serum concentrate and Second Generation X Serum, along with a note about the missing Number Nineteen and Dr. Victor.
• Suren treated the potions to remove odors and interference, then packed them separately while Kai searched the remaining crates.
• Kai triggered a hidden blade in a PX-911 Mechanical Limb, and Suren recognized the limb's exceptional craftsmanship and rare Armand Metal.
• Suren and Kai loaded the cargo onto their motorcycles, cleaned up the ambush site, and set the truck on fire to erase traces.
• Kai suggested selling the haul through Black Market dealers, but Suren refused and said they should hide the cargo until he found a safe way to sell it in batches.

After escaping their robbery, Suren and Kai witnessed an enormous explosion near Wasteland Park and suspected that a secret laboratory researching X Serum had been destroyed. Suren returned to Green Street, hid the stolen goods, and began deciphering the Living Corpse Research Diary with the help of his textbooks and the All-Seeing Eye.

• Suren warned Kai to take cover, and they survived a massive explosion near Wasteland Park behind a folding bulletproof shield.
• Suren connected the explosion to a secret laboratory researching X Serum and suspected that the Grade S female wanted criminal had destroyed it.
• Suren and Kai hid the stolen goods in separate secluded locations, destroyed their clothes, and returned to Green Street without being pursued.
• News spread that the blast was a gas explosion, while the Black Market posted an unprecedented bounty for information about the wanted woman.
• Suren decided to investigate the woman's bounty and Mr. Black's interest in the shipment, then began deciphering the Living Corpse Research Diary using the All-Seeing Eye and cryptography textbooks.

Suren deciphered most of the diary’s section on the Mutation Inhibitor Potion and brought the untranslated notes to Mr. Black for help. At the Black Market gathering, he heard news about the wanted woman’s escape and stayed silent when someone sought Frost Giant Combat Armor.

• Suren translated most of the diary’s potion-refinement instructions but asked Danny and Mr. Black to help with the difficult passages.
• Suren attended the Black Market gathering and heard that the wanted woman had escaped the Umbrella Organization with help from a Third Party Force.
• Suren listened as attendees traded goods and discussed Dawn City relics, then declined to respond to a request for Frost Giant Combat Armor.
• Suren gave Mr. Black his untranslated notes, and Mr. Black agreed to finish deciphering them by the next day.

Suren created a Rune Living Corpse with the Mutation Inhibitor and Second Generation X Serum, then used it to test whether the Black Scythe’s backlash could be diverted from himself. The test succeeded, leaving him with a potential weapon capable of threatening High-Tier Professionals, though he still needed to improve the corpse and find a way to store it and the scythe.

• Suren dismantled the PX-911 Mechanical Limb for parts and used them to improve his puppets.
• After deciphering the ancient formula, Suren injected a corpse with Second Generation X Serum, slowed its mutation with a Mutation Inhibitor, and covered it in runes to create a Rune Living Corpse.
• Suren placed the Black Scythe in the Living Corpse’s hands and used steel wires to make it cut a spatial crack without injecting his own Dark Spiritual Energy.
• An hour later, the curse backlash caused a wound on the Living Corpse instead of Suren, and its regenerative ability began healing the injury.
• Suren concluded that the Living Corpse could swing the Black Scythe repeatedly, but noted that he needed to improve its mobility, control its Dark Spiritual Energy, and find a Folded Space to carry it and the scythe.

Suren avoided injecting himself with X Serum and focused on his experiments while gathering news about the Dawn City Ruins. He and Kai headed to guard the Cross Society’s new venue, where Kai showed off how much stronger he had become; Suren left him hopeful about his future.

• Suren decided to postpone using X Serum because of its risks, uncertain side effects, and the danger of being recognized by the Inner City.
• Suren sold some stolen goods and learned that the Dawn City Ruins held valuable artifacts and Cursed Spaces, prompting him to consider exploring them when the time was right.
• Kai summoned Suren to Big Beard’s Mechanical Repair Shop and brought him to the opening of the Cross Society’s new venue on Norton Street, where Sister Chijou had assigned them to guard the place.
• Kai proudly showed Suren his increased muscle and credited the body-tempering potions Suren had supplied with accelerating his training.
• Kai said he hoped to join a Wilderness Hunter Group and eventually advance to Tier 2, then recounted how Boss Angel had gained power after a dangerous wilderness hunt.
• Suren encouraged Kai, telling him that he would have his chance in the future.

Suren and Kai joined the Cross Society’s Norton Street operations, then escorted a shipment into the Inner City. As Kai shared his hopes and fears about life beyond the Outer City, he revealed that Smoker Boss had arranged a secret meeting for him, leaving Suren uneasy.

• Suren recognized Madam Philo and Rena at Norton Street’s opening ceremony, then Qiantiao told him and Kai they would work on her street and took them to the baths and arena.
• Kai told Suren that the Cross Society executives had assigned them to escort valuable goods to the Inner City, so they traveled together in the convoy’s middle truck.
• Suren and Kai passed through the Fifth City Gate with a special pass and marveled at the Inner City’s wealth and beauty.
• Kai confessed that he had once dreamed of becoming a bodyguard for an Inner City tycoon and described the nightmares caused by years of fighting.
• Kai told Suren that Smoker Boss had promised an important Inner City figure would contact him, and Suren grew suspicious of the secret arrangement.

Suren realized the Cross Society’s cargo delivery to White Sail Warehouse was a trap designed to find Isaac’s Alchemy Manuscript. He concluded that an insider had hidden the manuscript in an ordinary Cross Society warehouse and arranged for the convoy to be intercepted.

• The Cross Society convoy entered the Inner City and arrived at White Sail Warehouse, where Kai and the others began unloading the cargo.
• A bearded man summoned Kai away, while Suren noticed a distant watcher and grew suspicious of the warehouse handover.
• Suren observed Butler Jackson examining the ancient books far more carefully than the other antiques.
• Suren recalled an earlier attack on the Cross Society headquarters warehouse and realized Jackson was likely searching for Isaac’s Alchemy Manuscript.
• Suren concluded that an insider had hidden the manuscript in an ordinary Cross Society warehouse and planned to seize it by intercepting the cargo convoy.

Suren realized Smoker Samb was the Cross Society mole and uncovered the ambush targeting the shipment, then fought his way out after the attackers revealed themselves as trained Professionals. He escaped over the warehouse roof using a Cold Flame art, while the black-clad leader ordered a citywide search and his men failed to find the item they wanted.

• Suren recognized Smoker Samb as the mole and realized the old butler was signaling the attackers after finding a black, gold-lettered book.
• Suren killed Butler Jackson, threw smoke grenades, and fought the black-clad men as they stormed the warehouse and opened fire on the convoy.
• Suren identified his attackers as Professionals and climbed a support pillar to escape, but the Tier 2 leader cast Extreme Frost and froze his Spider Spears to the pillar.
• Suren used the Unattendant Cold Flame art to melt the frost, leapt onto the roof, and escaped the warehouse.
• The black-clad leader issued a Class B emergency search order for Suren, while his men searched the shipment and reported that the target was not there.

After killing members of the Umbrella Organization, Suren escaped the warehouse and tried to flee the Inner City while the organization closed in around him. His disguise and a stolen code phrase briefly got him through a checkpoint, but after another fight exposed his whereabouts, he turned to the Moon Hotel as a desperate final escape route.

• Suren escaped the warehouse with Isaac's Alchemy Manuscript, treated his gunshot wound, and disguised himself before realizing his attackers belonged to the Umbrella Organization.
• Suren suspected Smoker had arranged the escort mission and chose Danny's old route through the sewers near the Number Seven Institute as his way out of the city.
• Suren used a taxi switch to mislead the Umbrella Organization's trackers, but its agents established checkpoints to trap him in District Five.
• Suren passed a checkpoint by posing as a high-ranking Umbrella Organization officer and using a code phrase he had heard from Bill, the Blind Detective.
• Suren continued on foot into District Four, escaped after Security Teams and City Guards challenged him, and concluded that he could not reach the Number Seven Institute.
• Suren chose the Moon Hotel as his last chance to escape.

Suren escaped the Umbrella Organization and City Guards by carrying a fake bomb through Dunwich Commercial Street, then used Rena as a hostage to deter a pursuing High-Tier Professional. He brought her into the Moon Hotel to search for a Sealed Item that might help him escape.

• Suren treated his frostbite while clinging to a high-rise, then climbed toward the Middle City District to reach the Moon Hotel and Aberk's rumored Sealed Item.
• Suren walked openly through Dunwich Commercial Street with a lighter that agents mistook for a pressure detonator, forcing them to hold back and evacuate civilians.
• Suren greeted Rena and her friend Yulia, then learned that a High-Tier Professional was watching him and might attack before he could search the hotel.
• Suren put his arm around Rena, told her she had been taken hostage, and led her into the Moon Hotel while Yulia watched in shock.